I’m writing this blog from our prayer room, which is also the room where we are training six church planters. Four of them are called to plant new churches here in Michigan; one is called to plant in Hungary; and one in Uganda. Today, we are focusing on the competency of “Leading from a Bold Faith that Takes Prayerful Risks”.
It is perfect timing as I want to share some things with you that God has called us to in the area of Leadership Development.
As you may be aware, our vision as a network of Fearless Churches is to make disciples, develop leaders, and plant churches. We’ve been spending a lot of time lately talking about church planting and it is SO exciting to see what God is doing in three of our newest churches. Cultivate in Hamilton, Third Coast in Saugatuck, and Family Church on the main land of Belize (Ladyville Community) have all started in the last 8 months and are off and growing. We are seeing people come to Christ, getting baptized, and being transformed through discipleship and worship in community.
A couple of weeks ago, myself and some other Fearless Followers were in Belize and spent time with Pastor Marvin who was called to start a faith community in a hurting community that is literally a boat/plane ride away. He is currently preaching at the new church on Sunday morning, then takes a two hour boat ride in order to make it back to the main church to preach in the evening. The big takeaway for our team, and what I hope you can see is that raising up leaders is CRITICAL to the success of planting churches. Needless to say, Pastor Marvin cannot keep up that pace for very long. He needs to invite, invest in, and inspire other leaders to take the reins and lead. Together, he and his team of leaders, can do SO MUCH more than he ever could by himself. Ultimately we are praying that Pastor Marvin would identify a leader that can be developed and serve as the lead pastor of this new work. Will you join us as we pray for God to bring the right leader?
This is EXACTLY why we created the Fearless Leadership Residency program. It is the way we are cultivating leaders to take the roles of directors and pastors of our future churches.
God has definitely called us to trust Him in BIG ways as we step out in developing leaders. He brought us eight amazing residents to pour into and prepare for the adventure of fulltime ministry. These folks are the future pastors, leaders, and directors of our Fearless Network of Churches. If we are called to plant as many churches as we believe we are, we are going to need to raise up thousands of leaders. We know without a shadow of a doubt that God wants us to replicate ourselves. It is not just the fifth R in our “5Rs” of a Fearless Follower, it is a scriptural mandate to pour ourselves out into others.
So, how can you help? I’m glad you asked!
We are now recruiting for our next batch of Fearless Leadership Residents. We’ve been on the campuses of local private and public colleges letting students know of the opportunity to be poured into and developed. We’re inviting folks to apply by May 15 on the website and then after a conversation with me, join us for an assessment on May 25. Then, we plan to invite four to six new residents to join us in August as we kick off the new season of Fearless Leadership Development.
Imagine a year long, church based, transformational learning experience right here in our faith community.
- Are you (or do you know) someone that has finished college and is now asking what is next?
- Do you know someone that is considering their next step in ministry?
- Who do you need to invite to consider it?
- What friend do you need to send an email to about it?
- How might God want you to help get the word out on social media?
We would love for you to help direct people to: www.fearlessresidency.com to get more information about the residency.
Movement Pastor